NAMM Report 3

Contents:
AH Post-NAMM party
Technosaurus Selector
Access Virus
Retro AS-1 Mac DSP Synth Software
New Sensor
Big Briar
Waldorf XT
Yamaha Gear
Endthought
Hey Synthgods.
First off, thanks to Mike Dvorkin for hosting the AH
gathering at his apartment and for spinning a cool
ambient/IDM mix, and to both him and Mike Kent
for the beer. Attendees:
Mike Dvorkin
Mike Kent
Mike Peake (all night it was "Hey Mike!", and three
answers)
Doug Masla
Dave Longo
John Mika
Mel Morley
Pierre Zarokian
Rob 1622
-Rod-
There was much trading of thought and experience.
Doug, Mike D, Pierre, and Dave played some tracks
they'd done; all were very cool. John Mika showed
the custom effects pedals he advertises through
his site; everyone agreed that the Fuzz Factory and
Seek Wah were pretty darn cool. Mail Music Central
for more info. We talked about platform wars, Curtis
chips Vs. SSM, Wine Country, our setups and effects.
I hope more people can make it next year (Justin?)
as we had fun until 3.30 am. If I forgot to list anyone,
forgive me as I'm burned out from the show.
I patched up a Technosaurus Selector system at show's
closing last night, and enjoyed it rather a bit. Their
LFO goes up to 2kHz, making for some nice FM. Again,
their envelopes are damn fast, for those who like
snappy, agressive music. It's a versatile system. I
would really like to hear a four-pole filter in it
(coming soon) as the two-pole filter can't pluck
as fast as a four-pole. The triple dynamic resonator
module is quite nice, featuring three bandpass filters,
each with frequency and Q pots, and individual volumes.
They are each voltage-controlled and sum to a single output.
They had a patch running utilizing this module; it
sounds very nice ('musical'), and can really add a
nice boost at any frequency up to it's 8k limit. It's
great for boosting a particular bass frequency, which
if then patched to a VCA on Exponential, produces
extremely pleasing electronic percussion. Randomizing
it's Fc's with an S/H creates even more pleasing effects.
(The 12 dB multimode Filter 2 also produces a nice resonance
that is very useful for electropercussion as above; you can
also route an envelope with minimum times to it's audio
input for ringing filter tones. Resonance is VC'd as well.)
This unit sounds smoother and glossier than a Serge
system (Mike D has a decent Serge, which we played with
over Monitor Ones, which I'm for better or worse, very
familiar with in terms of how things actually sound on.)
Selector is very low noise, which helps sounds come out of
seemingly nowhere. (I also heard the Doepfer at Mike's;
it is a very nice synth with a lot of esoteric modules for
a great price, but to my ears, didn't sound as round and
deep as even the Serge.)
As with any NAMM booth, the surrounding noise and
small monitoring system were a hinderance in terms
of truly hearing what an instrument sounds like,
but from the monitors they'd set up, the Selector
sounded nice. The bass popped out in the pleasant,
musical shape I'd mentioned yesterday, which is a
bit like the exponential audio decay in the Tr808 bass
drum. POP! I'd like to hear a four-pole filter using this
exponential VCA/envelope setup over my full-range
home amplification setup.
The Selector did nice FM, both from Osc to Osc and from
LFO to Osc. The triangle wave's output sounded best for
this; it's sidebands were different than other synths
set up for the same patch, and sounded good. This
is a sound I'd use the unit for in my own music. It
would be nice to have as much (or more) gain in the Osc
wave outputs as are present from the LFO, for even wider
FM capabilities. Since each Osc waveform has it's own
volume control, higher gain wouldn't be a problem
when patching to filters etc., as the user could simply
reduce the levels at the source (or not, for nice
saturation effects!) The filter, when FM'd, created some
nice gritty sounds. (BTW, the current Filter 2 is 12 dB,
and is switchable between LP, HP, 6dB Band, and 6dB
Notch, similar to the Oberheim SEM filter. It's resonance
in nice and 'wet' sounding, not whistley like the Moog
lowpasses.)
The Osc waveforms sounded like you'd expect from a
modular synth. The square wave went out to very thin
and stable pulse waves, which sounded pleasing.
PWM is provided. Sync was as good as any I've heard.
The Selector is slightly lacking in terms of
trigger versitality: The osc square wave and the LFO
square wave aren't high enough output to clock the
Envelopes. I mentioned this to them and received
a positive response in terms of their being able to
mod a unit to achieve this. J=FCrg Oldani and Stephan
Hug were very friendly and conmmunicative with me,
and I'd imagine any customer of theirs receiving
the proper amount of attention when assembling a
system, or requesting specific modifications.
Yes, I like this synth, and would have bought one
had I the money available. Maybe soon.
redacted@example.com
Selector System 3: 3VCO, VCF 2, Dual Env, LFO, VCA, MIDI/CV,
cabinet and power: $2975.00 USD.
VCO: 270.00
VCF2: 270.00
Dual Env: 270.00
Env: 200.00
VCA: 200.00
LFO/Noise: 200.00
S/H with Slow Random: 200.00
Dual Ring Mod: 200.00
Control MIDI: 465.00
Optional DIN-Sync and Clock outs from Control MIDI: 130.00
Triple Resonators: 360.00
Cabinet B: 760.00
Coming Soon:
Dual Waveshaper: 200.00
Octal Subharmonic Osc: 360.00
VC Morphing Filter
Frequency Shifter
Filter 1 (Moog LP plus 303 LP)
The Access Virus:
This unit sounded better to me than I expected.
Nice, fast envelopes, good sounding filter, nice
effects such as sync, FM, etc. The sync sounded
a bit more digital than an analog synth at certain
pitches (read: very high), but that's a good thing,
as it's a musically useful sound, not a digital
overload. It has slightly brighter harmonics, and
would make a cool sequenced bass sound with a bit
of bite. The FM sounds good too, but doesn't go out
as far as I'd like, into total chaos. They get points
for even including it, though! I wish I'd had more
time to check this one out, especially the 64
digital Waves.
12 Voices, with 2 oscillators, 1 sub Osc and Noise
per voice. The Oscs can also produce 64 spectral
waveshapes each. Fully multitimbral.
2 independent 2-pole filters, each featuring
the modes: Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass and
Bandstop (notch).
4 filter routing options: Serial 24dB, Serial 36dB,
Parallel 24 dB, Split
4 distortion/waveshaper characteristics.
Filter/distortion combination achieves the
response of a classic cascade (read: Moog etc.) filter.
3 independent LFOs per voice with Envelope operating
mode (it can cycle once upon key trigger), Rate
keyfollow, Key trigger with variable phase start
point and Single mode.
Extremely fast ADSR envelopes.
Modulation effects (chorus, flanging, phasing)
with total stereo processing; individually
variable for several sounds in Multimode.
Stereo delay effects. 6 individual outputs (3 stereo
composites), 2 audio inputs (mono and stereo
processing)
Flexible internal audio routing for processing
external and internal signals and effects
via the filters and amplifiers of other
voices.
Complete parameter control via MIDI with
adaptive smoothing for soft parameter changes
Extremely fast MIDI processing regardles of
voice load.
256 Single and 128 Multi programs
Chassis in console form with optional 19"
rack mounting brackets
Dimensions: WxDxH: 466 x 180 x 60mm
I didn't
hear it side by side with a Nord, but I can
say I like the Virus better (excepting
the Nord's great Linear FM).
http://www.tsi-gmbh.de
redacted@example.com
Who wants an analog modeling synth for
the MACINTOSH? Remember the MACINTOSH?
BitHeadz do, and have a pleasing piece of
software called the Retro AS-1 for the
MACINTOSH (okay, I'll let it go.)
There were plenty of booths just like theirs,
(computer setups with custom software)
and I woudn't have even known of it's
existence if a friend hadn't seen it and
dragged me over.
"The first fully programmable, professional
quality analog synthesizer for your Macintosh."
You select or make a sound on the screen, and
play it polyphonically from a MIDI keyboard,
and listen to it out of the PPC's output, or an
Audiomedia III card, all in real-time. The sliders
are mouse-driven; currently, you cannnot
play a note and alter a parameter at the same
time, but they are addressing this problem now.
What you see on the monitor is a window with
sliders ensconsed within their related areas
(Filter, Osc, etc.) That's the Main page; three
other pages are selectable from clicking
tabs on the upper left of the window.
The other pages include the Modulation
page, where you can create a bunch of
routings and performance controls, and
the effects page. There also appears to
be an Arpeggiator page, but I can barely
see the text to confirm this. The program
worked very well, and had very fast envelopes
(Yes, I'm big on that, as I love little tickey
sounds. Software envelopes have been
absolutely terrible for this in terms of
speed and shape until very recently, as you
well know). Adding too much resonance
blew the model up, but that's being
addressed as well. It's just a matter of
coding. This isn't a 'drag the patchcord'
type interface; the Modulation page is
a text list of source/destination routings;
you click the text and sliders pop up for
editing.
There is a Mixer page, perhaps for
multitimbral applications. I didn't
see this used, so I'm just discovering
it in the literature.
You can have several patches and their
associated display pages on screen at once,
tiled and offset behind each other. Select one
and it comes to the front.
>From the literature:
Over 75 parameters per voice, up to 200
values per parameter.
up to 16 voices, CPU dependant.
Polyphonic and legato modes.
Comes with 1000 sound patches.
Stereo output.
Onscreen keyboard (a MIDI keyboard
is not required to trigger sounds).
24-bit, 48kHz fidelity on AudioMedia III
cards.
Support for Event and other third party
audio hardware.
2 insert (serial) effects processors
per voice
2 global (parallel) effects processors
Multiple stereo reverb and reflection
algorithms.
Stereo delay, chorus and flange effects.
Overdrive and distortion effects.
Fully parametric and shelf EQ.
Up to 3 Oscillators per voice (does
not include LFOs)
8-octave range per Oscillator.
5 waveforms: Saw, Pulse, Triangle,
Sine, Noise.
Continuous control of waveform symmetry.
Sync any oscillator to any other osc of filter
2 assignable filters per voice.
7 filter types per filter.
Filter types include 4-pole resonant
and variable state band-pass/band-restrict.
Multiple inputs for serial and or parallel
filtering.
Multiple continuous controllers always active
on all 16 channels.
Unlimited envelopes and LFOs.
Unlimited Modulation routings.
Four continuous MIDI controler modulation
sources available simulaneously.
Multiple latch and assignment modes.
Imports and exports Standard MIDI Files.
16 MIDI channel multitimbral.
Serial port drivers included for direct MIDI input.
Full simultaneous MIDI application compatability
(OMS and FreeMIDI).
It has CPU limiting abilities so you can run
other programs, including MIDI applications.
System requirements:
Mac OS computer with PPC processor.
4 Meg RAM, 5 Meg hard disk space.
Sound Manager 3.2 (included).
Compatable CD-ROM drive.
800x600 or higher resolution monitor.
BitHeadz Inc.
www.bitheadz.com
redacted@example.com
408-465-9898
So, how did this sound? Sometimes sweet, firm
and plucky like a Jupiter 8, sometimes thinner
like a Jupiter 6. They had a really nice plucked
triangle/filter sound, and a nice, thinner string
pad that I'm referencing for these comparisons.
Both of these instruments sit nicely in a mix in
their own frequency ranges, and the Retro
could do this as well.
I hope the competition pushes the code-men
into providing us with better and better tools.
Last year at the show, nothing like this
existed. A lot has happened since; look for it
to get better and better. (However, I'm not
selling the Moog just yet!)
New Sensor had a tiny display with Deluxe
Electric Mistress and Memory Man clones, and
also their Sovek Small Stone and Big Muff
releases, in their large Perestroika cases.
No sign of any MiniSynth products, and no
way to audition them either. Word at the AH
party was that they're re-issuing the 16-Second
Delay...
Big Briar only had their two Theremins on
display, along with the Theremin amplifier.
No sign of any analog synth technology
just yet. I saw Bob there, but didn't chat him
up.
Didn't make it to ART, Focusrite (I love their
older ISA110 Blue series pres/EQs; very
very pricey nowaday), JoeMeek, or Manley.
TC Electronic had the Finalizer at booths with
CD players and headphones; I checked it out,
but found it to not be as intuitive as I'd hoped.
It sounded very nice, though.
The Waldorf Microwave XT has a brand-new filter
algorithm; it sounds nice, and has a very
clear and airy high end. You can go deaf
from this thing with the filter at high
frequency and rez! (No big review for this
one, as I want too many things already to
add this to my list!)
Finally, Yamaha. One hit, one 'okay, what next'.
First, the 'smaller' things.
The WX5 MIDI wind controller, with saxophone
key layout. $749.00 USD.
The CBX-K2 MIDI controller: 49 keys, velocity
and aftertouch. $349.00.
The VL70-m monophonic physical modeling
module. $799.00
The QY70 music sequencer. $599.00.
The QY700 tone-generator/110,000 note sequencer.
$1495.00
The RY8 Drum programmer. $299.00.
The RY20 Drum programmer. $499.00.
The EX5 76 key, 128-voice workstation. $2,700.00.
The EX7 61 key, 64-voice workstation. $2,200.00.
The EX5R 128-voice sound module. $2,200.00.
The DS2416 Digital Mixing Card, or DSP
fatory: $1000.00.
The companion AX44 expansion card: $300.00.
I played the EX5 for a couple of minutes over
headphones. It looks and sounds like an
improved SY99, even going so far as to
duplicate their layering of PCM with DSP FM
for enhancement of detail. The
vast majority of patches on the machine
were piano-string-brass type. The DSP FM
section is from the AN1x, AFAIK, so users of
that technology will be pleased. If you are
familiar with Dr. Manny Fernandez's style of
patch programming from the entire DX/SY
line of synths, you'll 'get' how this box
sounds. It has some scary features, such as
the ability to add up to 64 Meg of RAM and
add a SCSI interface.
The DSP Factory was a surprise, being a PCI
card with 24 channels of 02R mixing,
including effects and dynamics, and the
ability to stream 32-bit linear audio to disk.
If used as a virtual mixer for multi-track
hard-disk audio, it's a 24x2 mixer. It can, with
the addition of the AX44 card, send out 16
channels of ADAT lightpipe to breakout
D/A boxes (Korg has an 18-bit unit; others
are sure to proliferate). The Card will
probably ship in May or June; Mac versions
will be about 3 months later.
Check out these specs:
24 channel, 32-bit digital mixer.
10 bus outputs and 6 aux sends.
104 bands of 4-band parametric EQ.
26 dynamics processors.
Automatic Kid Ritual Arpeggio Fests.
Just seeing if you were paying attention.
2 effect processors equal in quality to
Yamaha's REV500.
Channel delay on all 20 channels. (20?
That must be a typo.)
Comprehensive metering.
Digital cross-patching for channel ins/outs.
2 channel 20-bit AD/DA converter.
Stereo coax input and output.
Unlike other systems, ALL the above
features are available all the time.
Since all the above processing is present
on the card, little or no outboard
equipment is needed (Sorry, that's
not true, especially for us. Needed saying.)
Multichannel analog and digital I/O with
optional interface hardware.
16-track playback from hard disk, with
up to 32-bit resolution.
8-track simultaneous recording with up
to 32-bit resolution.
Sample-accurate synch between tracks.
The recorder is 'hot-wired' to the internal
mixer in the digital domain.
Synchronization to outside sources via
software.
A single DS2416 can provide up to 12
external inputs and outputs.
Multiple DS2416 cards can be cascaded
to create larger systems.
The show this year had far more
oriented to the dance-music scene
than any I can remember. There were
far, far less guitar heroes with big hair.
The show was not the astonishing
noisefest it usually is; we found out why:
Convention Center employees were
going around with SPL meters hidden
beneath show directories. Any booth
with over a 70 dB SPL was requested to
turn it down. That's not so bad (or am I
getting way too old? Noise is undesired
sound).
Easier,
Mike (going to sleep for a few days.)
________
Specifications:
Pain means Stop/Something's going to Happen/Master of None
Nothing attracts a crowd like and analog synth.
Analog Synths: Fun Fun Fun 'till the Electric Bill Comes.